Dr. Niran Al-Agba

Hold the Mayo and Save Our Hospital

There is a grassroots movement, 4500 strong, known as “Save Our Hospital” gaining notoriety in Albert Lea, Minnesota. This story is symptomatic of the fact that hospital consolidation has slowly become a national pastime. With declining revenue under the Affordable Care Act, mergers increased by 70%, leaving small communities scrambling for healthcare access. The latest casualty in the ‘hospital-consolidation-for-sport’ trend is Albert Lea, a small city located in Freeborn County, Minnesota.

Niran Al-Agba2020-05-14T04:00:56+00:00September 12, 2017|Categories: Patient, Policy|Tags: Albert Lea, Consolidation, Corporatization, Health Policy, Hospitals, Mayo Clinic, Rural Hospital|

A Two-Hospital Solution in the Event of a Mass Casualty Incident (MCI)

In June 2016, Kitsap County emergency personnel participated in Cascadia Rising, a large-scale earthquake drill. At the time, three local hospitals planned to coordinate management of injured casualties: Navy Hospital, which would treat the “walking wounded” (least injured), or Harrison Silverdale and Harrison Bremerton, which would clear their emergency departments to receive the flood of injured patients. While those plans have changed, the grave risk to our community in the event of an earthquake should not be ignored.

Niran Al-Agba2020-05-14T03:58:17+00:00September 5, 2017|Categories: Patient, Policy|Tags: ACA, Affordable Care, Cascade Rising, CHI, Consolidation, Dignity, Franciscan, Hospitals, Mass Casualty Incident, Patient Physician Relationship|

Washington State Regulators Gave CHI a Monopoly. It is Time to Take it Back.

How did we get here? America has struggled to balance access to hospital services with utilization, quality and price for the past 50 years. In the mid-1960’s, certificate of need laws were established to limit the supply of hospital beds and equipment, prevent overutilization of services, control costs and improve quality.

Niran Al-Agba2020-05-14T03:57:15+00:00August 22, 2017|Categories: Patient, Policy|Tags: Certificate of Need, CHI, CON laws, Consolidation, Corporatization, Franciscan, Hospitals, Rural Care, Washington State|

A Hospital With No Beds Cannot Stand

The evidence is now clear CON laws not only increase costs, but also restrict access for the underserved, especially in rural areas. Hospital bed access is expressed in the number of beds/1,000 population; on average, there are 3.62 beds/1,000 people in the United States. Recent studies by Strattman and Russ found states with CON laws have 1.31 fewer beds/1,000 overall. Kaiser Foundation found Washington and Oregon have the lowest bed ratios in the nation, at 1.7 beds/1,000, with Kitsap County having a woefully inadequate ration of 1.30 beds/1,000. In short, the evidence supports the fact that CON regulations worsen access for rural residents.

Niran Al-Agba2020-05-14T03:56:26+00:00August 15, 2017|Categories: Patient, Policy|Tags: Certificate of Need, CHI, CON laws, Corporatization, Franciscan, Health Policy, Hospitals, Rural Care, Washington State|

Phoebe-Putney Hospital vs. Lee County, Georgia: A Tale of Consolidation and a Little County That Could

Lee County is on their way to achieving something extraordinary; challenging the dominance of a hospital monopoly. On July 21, 2017, the CON application for Lee County was deemed complete by the Georgia Department of Community Health. A decision is anticipated by Nov. 15. If granted, the county plans to break ground on the new structure in early 2018. The CEO of Lee County Medical Center, Mr. G. Edward Alexander, stated “Our goal is to ensure that decisions for the hospital are made locally by people who live and work in Lee County.”

Niran Al-Agba2020-05-14T03:55:32+00:00August 8, 2017|Categories: Patient, Policy|Tags: ACA, Certificate of Need, CHI, CON laws, Consolidation, Corporatization, Franciscan, Health Policy, Phoebe Putney Hospital, Rural Care|

Healthcare Plan: Reboot and Rebuild

Success is never attained by taking shortcuts. We do not need reform of health care; we need to renovate the entire system. Special interests do not belong in the picture. They are superfluous to achieving innovative solutions that place profits on the back burner. Healthcare reform is like learning to discipline a tantrum-throwing 3-year-old; it will not conform to rhyme or reason. Congress is making this too difficult. They need to roll up their sleeves, go back to the drawing board, and start again.

Niran Al-Agba2020-05-26T01:30:54+00:00August 1, 2017|Categories: Patient, Policy|Tags: Affordable Care, Health Policy, Patient Physician Relationship|

To CHI and Back: A Journey of 85 Hospital Beds in Kitsap County, Washington

One Vision. One Voice. Our Choice.

Niran Al-Agba2020-05-14T03:53:04+00:00July 24, 2017|Categories: Patient, Policy|Tags: ACA, Affordable Care, CHI, Consolidation, Corporatization, Franciscan, Hospital, Rural Care|

An Open Letter to the Future Mayor of Bremerton

The single most critical issue facing your tenure will be improving access to healthcare for the population of Bremerton. On May 1, 2017, the state Department of Health granted Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI) a long awaited Certificate of Need to transfer all of the available hospital beds outside of the city and complete a $600 million dollar hospital expansion project in Silverdale, at the expense of healthcare access.

Niran Al-Agba2020-05-14T03:51:59+00:00July 18, 2017|Categories: Patient, Policy|Tags: ACA, Affordable Care, CHI, Consolidation, Franciscan, Health Policy, Patient Advocacy|

One Difficult Day

My dreams for this young boy from ten years ago were shattered into tiny little pieces. In my mind, at the tender age of seven, he had been a ball of clay ready to be molded into something beautiful. Instead, all hope had been extinguished from the young man who stood before me now. There was no sparkle in his eye; the devilish grin was all that remained of that innocent child I once knew.

Niran Al-Agba2020-05-14T03:48:20+00:00June 27, 2017|Categories: Patient|Tags: Grief, Loss, Patient Physician Relationship, Physician Mother|

1,000 Miles with My Daughter

Whether or not we reach 100, 1,000, or even 10,000 miles together in our lifetime, we will have time spent enjoying one another. Time is a gift we should all appreciate. I am well aware of the fact in 10 years, she could recoil at the thought of taking a walk with dear old mom, but what if she doesn’t?

Niran Al-Agba2020-05-14T03:47:19+00:00June 20, 2017|Categories: Patient|Tags: Motherhood, Parenting, Physician Mother|